Luqman's musings

                                             I don't see a retaining wall behind the house. Do you?                                           I don't see a retaining wall behind the house. Do you? Dear Sir/Madam, I refer to my previous correspondence dated February 2023 and your response, referenced BEM/PPC/02 (09-23) (04), dated 30 July 2023. In your response, you indicated that, after reviewing the engineer’s reply, the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) found no case against the engineer. Unlike the Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia (LAM), you did not provide a copy of the engineer’s response, which limits my ability to fully understand the basis of your decision. 

                                                   Click on image to see expanded version This meeting was a follow up of the first meeting held on 5.5.2025. The minutes: 2.1 The meeting was informed that Sr. Robert (the surveyor) had re-verified the Survey Plan that was reviewed, and the results of the review were communicated to the Kota Kinabalu City Hall. The re-verification results found that the height level of the road in front of Lot S9 is 31.05m (101.87 feet) Average Mean Sea Level (AMSL), compared to the level stated in the Development Plan Approval (Year 2018) which is 31.09m (102 feet) AMSL;   i) Development Plan: 31.09 m (102 feet)   ii) As-built survey plan: 31.04m (101.87 feet)      Difference in height: 0.04m (0.13 feet) My thoughts: Firstly, the figure 31.05m is not on the as-built survey. Sec...

                                                Click on image above to see enlarged version Refer to my post at LINK . Let us look at the minutes first handed to me on 11.06.2025 (see image above). Item 2.1 i) states the platform height (paras tanah) to be 101 feet. Item 2.1 iii) states the platform height (paras tanah) to be 106.26 feet. This is what should be highlighted. The difference in platform height is 5.26 feet. 

I read the following in our Daily Express yesterday, 20.7.2025 titled: PAM Sabah celebrates its Golden Jubilee. “Our aim is to reinforce PAM as a proactive platform not only for professional development but also for meaningful engagement with local authorities, educational institutions, and our members,” Daniel said. Ar. Daniel Koh Chung Hou is the current chairman of PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia) Sabah Chapter. I will write a post on this tomorrow. Meanwhile here are background information to understand better my intended response to the newspaper article. 

    Tatal ke bawah untuk terjemahan dalam bahasa Melayu. Yesterday, I read a report in the Straits Times that resonated deeply with me. Below are the extracts from the report alongside my reflections. Extract: Court finds Selangor land office negligent, orders RM1.1mil award for land fraud victim. Judicial Commissioner Indra Nehru Savandiah ruled in favour of Ng Kin Song @ Ng Thian Song, finding that negligence and statutory breaches by the Selangor Land and Mines Department and the Klang Land Office had enabled the fraudulent transaction.   

  Tatal ke bawah untuk terjemahan dalam Bahasa Melayu. At the meeting with DBKK dated 5.5.2025 I requested a copy of the development plan attached to the Sales and Purchase agreement signed by my son, Faisal, in 2014. The director of DBKK instructed the architect to extend me a copy and I collected it from the architect’s office on 13.5.2025. The development plan attached to the Sales and Purchase agreement was dated February 2007 and approved by the Mayor on 8.3.2011. As far as the platform heights and road heights is concerned, this development plan is similar to the original development plan dated 1995.

  (Untuk terjemahan ke dalam bahasa Melayu, tatal ke bawah.) In Tamil, we say, "Muzhu Poosanikkaayaich Sotrukkul Maraikkirargal!" which translates to "Trying to hide a whole pumpkin in a plate of rice!" ( முழு பூசணிக்காயை சோத்திலே மறைக்க முடியாது ). This means attempting a scandal, scam, or mischief and covering it with flimsy excuses. That’s exactly what unfolded at the DBKK meeting on June 11, 2025.

                                                  The model in the photo above is 5'2" Since 2022, I have lodged multiple complaints with DBKK that went unanswered. On April 30, 2025, I emailed the Director’s Personal Assistant (see email below). To my surprise, DBKK Director Mr. Lifred Wong agreed to meet. The meeting took place on May 5, 2025, attended by the surveyor who submitted the as-built drawing, the architect (father and son), six DBKK officers, including Mr. Lifred, and myself.

                                         The above is probably only for public consumption. I recently saw a Facebook post about the Bangkok tower collapse from a month ago, but as usual, such posts are shared without follow-up. I've been vocal about the lack of accountability among Sabah's civil servants, particularly regarding unanswered emails about a housing project in Kota Kinabalu. In the Vistana Heights case, I’ve accused the developer, Topwira Corporation Sdn Bhd , and the architect, LYS Architect , of using a fabricated as-built survey . As a former manager at a Licensed Surveyor’s office with over two years of experience, I can read drawings and stand by this claim. The professionals involved—engineers, architects, and surveyors—seem to escape accountability for what I consider gross negligence.

  I was scrolling through X on April 14, 2025, when I stumbled across Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s post about U.S. tariffs. Under the headline “HIGH TARIFFS,” he admitted he’s no financial guru or economist but still shared his take: Trump’s high tariffs mean hefty taxes on goods and services entering the U.S. Reading that, I felt my blood boil. Here’s a former prime minister weighing in on global economics while I can’t even get a reply from Sabah’s civil servants about a dangerous situation in my neighbourhood. So, I fired off a response, and let me tell you why I’m fed up.